National Hope In A Spin After Defeat

Skillwise sprang a 20-1 surprise in the feature Grimthorpe Chase to rescue the bookmakers at Doncaster yesterday.

Martell Grand National hope Samuel Wilderspin started a well-backed 3-1 favourite for the £30,000-added chase and looked set to justify the support when jumping into a clear lead at the third-last fence.

But 5lb claimer David O'Meara conjured a late run out of bottom-weight Skillwise to collar the market leader after two out, and go on to score by three lengths, clinching his biggest win since moving North in the summer.

Front-running Grey Abbey (6-1) just held off No Retreat for third, another 10 lengths back.

Skillwise had been beaten over 25 lengths when fourth behind Samuel Wilderspin at Haydock last month and was rank outsider of the 10 runners yesterday.

But trainer Tim Easterby said: "He has been unlucky all his life and he got it right at last today. He isn't a heavy ground horse; it was too soft for him at Haydock last time."

Skillwise is now set for a return to Aintree, where he was disputing the

lead when unseating his rider late on in the John Hughes Chase last April.

"He is in the National and he will definitely run if he gets in, otherwise he will go for the John Hughes; he jumps for fun round there," Easterby said.

"He was wrong when he ran in the Becher Chase there this season as he came back with a kidney infection."

O'Meara, who had been wasting since Wednesday to ride at 9st 11lb, has already tasted success at Liverpool.

"I started out with Philip Hobbs and I won the Foxhunter at Aintree on Bells Life," he recalled.

The youngster moved up to North Yorkshire last May and Easterby said: "He came to ride out on the Flat as he had nothing else to do.

"I said he wouldn't get any rides over jumps but he has improved a lot this year."